The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
announces a limited competition opportunity for investigators at United
States institutions/organizations with active Institutional Development Award
(IDeA) grants that support core facilities to request administrative
supplements for the purpose of optimizing the functioning of multiple cores
through coordinated administration and consolidation of core facilities and
services. The objective of this opportunity is the enhancement of core
facilities and core facility services available to investigators in IDeA-eligible
states.

Key Dates

Posted Date

April 7, 2016

Open Date (Earliest Submission Date)

April 7, 2016

Letter of Intent Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

Application Due Date(s)

June 7, 2016, by 5:00 PM local time of applicant
organization.

Applicants are encouraged to apply early to allow adequate
time to make any corrections to errors found in the application during the
submission process by the due date.

AIDS Application Due Date(s)

Not Applicable

Scientific Merit Review

Not Applicable

Advisory Council Review

Not Applicable

Earliest Start Date

July 1, 2016

Expiration Date

June 8, 2016

Due Dates for E.O. 12372

Not Applicable

Required Application Instructions

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions in
the Application Guide (PHS 398
Application Guide,) except where instructed
to do otherwise (in this FOA or in a Notice from the NIH Guide for Grants and
Contracts). Conformance to all requirements (both in the
Application Guide and the FOA) is required and strictly enforced. Applicants
must read and follow all application instructions in the Application Guide as
well as any program-specific instructions noted in Section IV. When the program-specific
instructions deviate from those in the Application Guide, follow the
program-specific instructions. Applications that do not comply with
these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

One of the key components of the IDeA program is core
facilities, and one expectation of the program is that IDeA-eligible states
will develop sustainable core facilities and services to enhance the research
capacity within that state. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is
intended to facilitate the optimization of core facilities that support
research in IDeA states, through administrative supplements to active INBRE,
COBRE, and IDeA-CTR awards. This opportunity allows inclusion of core
facilities supported by non-IDeA funds in the proposed plans, but the
facilities and services must be in IDeA-eligible states. The supplement funding
would allow for the creation of centralized core administration/coordination
units at the grantee institution and for the consolidation of core facilities
and services to optimize efficiency at an institutional or regional level. Applicants
should note that the funds from this supplement must be expended within the
competitive segment of the parent award.

The supplemental funds would also provide the following: (1)
courses and resources to aid in the development of business/financial expertise
for core management (i.e. user fees, administration, charge back, billing,
business plan, an advocate position, outreach to community, multi-tasking), (2)
enhancement of cross-talk and collaboration between cores regarding best
practices, (3) submission of core facility information into the National IDeA
Core Laboratory (NICL) database (http://niclweb.org/),
and (4) additional efforts to sustain critical resources and train core users.

This funding is expected to be a one-time opportunity. The
proposed optimization must involve core facilities in IDeA states or provide better
access to investigators from IDeA states to core facilities. All three active
initiatives of the IDeA program are eligible to apply for supplemental funding
through this announcement, including all three phases of the COBRE. Awardees
are encouraged to collaborate and share resources between COBREs, INBREs, and
IDeA-CTRs, where appropriate. Awardees must agree to share information and
outcomes with NIH staff and best practices for core optimization with the IDeA
community. Such sharing may involve participation in a national meeting or
publication of a summary of the optimization process and/or best practices on
their web site.

For purposes of this FOA, a core facility is defined as a
centralized shared resource that provides access to instruments, technologies,
services, as well as expert consultation to biomedical or behavioral
investigators. This is a broad definition that covers instrument intensive
facilities, as well as facilities that offer advice concerning experimental
design or data analysis and interpretation. In addition, for this FOA,
consolidation can apply to facilities and/or services. Applicants should consider consolidation as it best applies to their
particular focus.

The number of awards is contingent upon NIH appropriations
and the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications.

Award Budget

Application budgets are limited to direct costs of no more
than $350K, no more than the amount of the current parent award, and must
reflect the actual needs of the proposed project. Indirect costs will be
allowed.

Funds may be used for (but are not limited to):

Personnel needed to plan and implement core optimization.

Examples of implementation activities include merging billing,
purchasing, tracking, and scheduling systems. Salary support for such
personnel can be requested for no more than one year.

Education and outreach efforts about and for the optimized
core.

Development of courses or modules for teaching and training
core users.

Minor alteration and renovation (under $100,000) to reconfigure
space in the core facility.

Funds may not be used to support personnel providing
services to users of the core facility.

The funding mechanism being used to support this program,
administrative supplements, can be used to cover cost increases that are
associated with achieving certain new research objectives, as long as the
research objectives are within the original scope of the peer reviewed and
approved project, or the cost increases are for unanticipated expenses within
the original scope of the project. Any cost increases need to result from
making modifications to the project that would increase or preserve the overall
impact of the project consistent with its originally approved objectives and
purposes.

Award Project Period

The project and budget periods must be within the
currently approved project period for the existing parent award. Supplements
may be requested for up to one year.

NIH grants policies as
described in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement will apply
to the applications submitted and awards made in response to this FOA.

This announcement is for supplements to existing projects.
To be eligible, the parent award must be active and the research proposed in
the supplement must be accomplished within the competitive segment. The
proposed supplement must be to provide for an increase in costs due to
unforeseen circumstances. All additional costs must be within the scope of the
peer reviewed and approved project.

IMPORTANT: The research proposed by the NIH grantee in the
supplement application must be within the original scope of the NIH-supported
grant project.

Foreign Institutions

Non-domestic (non-U.S.) Entities (Foreign Institutions) are
not eligible to apply.
Non-domestic (non-U.S.) components of U.S. Organizations are not eligible to apply.
Foreign components, as defined in the NIH Grants Policy Statement, are not allowed.

Required Registrations

Applicant
Organizations

Applicant organizations must complete and maintain the
following registrations as described in the SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide
to be eligible to apply for or receive an award. Since administrative
supplements are made against active grants and cooperative agreements, many of
these registrations may already be in place. All registrations must be
completed prior to the application being submitted. Registration can take 6
weeks or more, so applicants should begin the registration process as soon as
possible. The NIH
Policy on Late Submission of Grant Applications states that failure to
complete registrations in advance of a due date is not a valid reason for a
late submission.

Dun and Bradstreet
Universal Numbering System (DUNS) - All registrations require that
applicants be issued a DUNS number. After obtaining a DUNS number, applicants
can begin both SAM and eRA Commons registrations. The same DUNS number must be
used for all registrations, as well as on the grant application.

System for Award Management (SAM) (formerly CCR) – Applicants must complete and maintain an active registration, which requires renewal at least
annually. The renewal process may require as much time as the
initial registration. SAM registration includes the assignment of a Commercial
and Government Entity (CAGE) Code for domestic organizations which have not already
been assigned a CAGE Code.

eRA Commons - Applicants
must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the
eRA Commons registration. Organizations can register with the eRA Commons as
they are working through their SAM or Grants.gov registration. eRA Commons
requires organizations to identify at least one Signing Official (SO) and at
least one Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI) account in order to
submit an application.

Grants.gov – Applicants
must have an active DUNS number and SAM registration in order to complete the
Grants.gov registration. Grants.gov registration is only required if you plan
to submit using the 'Electronic Application Submission through Grants.gov'
option.

Program
Directors/Principal Investigators (PD(s)/PI(s))

All PD(s)/PI(s) must have an eRA Commons account.
PD(s)/PI(s) should work with their organizational officials to either
create a new account or to affiliate their existing account with the applicant
organization in eRA Commons.If the PD/PI is also the organizational Signing
Official, they must have two distinct eRA Commons accounts, one for each role.
Obtaining an eRA Commons account can take up to 2 weeks.

Eligible Individuals (Program Director/Principal
Investigator)

Individual(s) must hold an active grant or cooperative
agreement, and the research proposed in the supplement must be accomplished
within the competitive segment of the active award. Individuals are encouraged to
work with their organizations to develop applications for support.

For supplements to parent awards that include multiple PDs/PIs, the supplement
may be requested by any or all of the PDs/PIs (in accordance with the existing
leadership plan) and submitted by the awardee institution of the parent award. Do
not use this administrative supplement application to add, delete, or change
the PDs/PIs listed on the parent award. Visit the Multiple Program
Director/Principal Investigator Policy in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide
for more information.

There are no limitations on the number of applications that
an institution can submit in response to this opportunity.

Section IV. Application and
Submission Information

1. Requesting an
Application Package

Applicants must prepare applications using current forms in
accordance with the Application Guide.

For electronic submissions, applicants must download the
SF424 (R&R) application package associated with this funding opportunity
using the “Apply for Grant Electronically” button in this announcement, or use
the eRA Commons streamlined submission process.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

All forms must be completed for the supplemental activities only and must not reflect funding or activities for the previously awarded parent
award.

It is critical that applicants follow the instructions for
their submission option PHS 398
Application Guide) including Supplemental
Grant Application Instructions except where instructed in this funding
opportunity announcement to do otherwise. Conformance to documented requirements
is required and strictly enforced. Applications that are out of compliance with
these instructions may be delayed or not accepted for review.

Face Page (Form Page 1): On the face page of the application
form, note that your application is in response to a specific program
announcement, and enter the title and number of this announcement.

Research Plan: At a minimum, the Research Strategy section should
be completed and must include a summary or abstract of the funded parent award
or project. Other sections should also be included if they are being changed by
the proposed supplement activities. The following elements must be included in
the application. Failure to clearly address all of these elements may delay or
preclude consideration of the request.

A succinct description of the proposed core optimization
activities, including the core administration/coordination unit and how
facilities and/or services are expected to be consolidated and maximized with
the supplement funds.

A description of how the funds will be spent, and how the
proposed changes could not have been done without the supplemental funding.

A plan describing any expected collaboration or sharing with
other IDeA programs.

In the case of equipment purchases, an explanation of why new
equipment is needed and existing resources cannot be used or adapted for the
same need.

A plan to ensure the continuance and sustainability of
centralization and coordination-related changes made in the interest of
optimization.

Project/Performance Sites section (Form Page 2): Include the
primary site where the proposed supplement activities will be performed. If a
portion of the proposed supplement activities will be performed at any other
site(s), identify the locations in the fields provided.

Sr/Key Personnel section (Form Page 2): List the PD/PI as the first
person (regardless of their role on the supplement activities). List any other
Senior/Key Personnel who are being added through this supplement, or for whom
additional funds are being requested through this supplement; include a
biographical sketch for each.

Budget for Entire Proposed Project Period (Form Page 5): A
proposed budget should be submitted using the PHS 398 budget forms and should
only include funds requested for the additional supplement activities.

Letter of
Support: A letter of support from a senior institutional official
(e.g., President or Dean) must be included, outlining the institutional
commitment of resources and facilities to sustain and support the effort
throughout the period of funding and to maintain these resources beyond the
period of grant support. The level of institutional commitment will differ
among applicant institutions because of the variability of resources available
among institutions.

If applicable, attach documents indicating that proposed changes
to a core facility or service were approved by the Institutional Animal Care
and Use Committee (IACUC) or human subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB) at
the grantee institution. Adherence to the NIH policy for including women and
minorities in clinical studies must also be ensured, if additional human
subjects’ involvement is planned for the supplement component.

The grantee institution, on behalf of the PD/PI of
the parent award, must submit the request for supplemental funds directly to
the awarding component that supports the parent award. Submit a signed,
typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, to:

See Part 1. Section III.1 for information regarding the
requirement for obtaining a unique entity identifier and for completing and
maintaining active registrations in System for Award Management (SAM), NATO Commercial
and Government Entity (NCAGE) Code (if applicable), eRA Commons, and Grants.gov.

4. Submission Dates and
Times

Part I. Overview Information contains information about Key Dates and Times. Applicants are encouraged to
submit electronic applications before the due date to ensure they have time to
make any application corrections that might be necessary for successful
submission. When a submission date falls on a weekend or Federal
holiday, the application deadline is automatically extended to the next
business day.

Applicants
are responsible for viewing their electronic application before the due date in
the eRA Commons to ensure accurate and successful submission.

For paper-based application
submission, information on the process of receipt and determining if
your application is considered on-time is described in detail in the PHS 398
Application Guide.

For assistance with your electronic application or for more information on the electronic submission
process, visit Applying
Electronically. If you encounter a system issue beyond your control that
threatens your ability to complete the submission process on-time, you must
follow the Guidelines
for Applicants Experiencing System Issues. For assistance with application
submission contact the Application Submission Contacts in Section VII.

Important
reminders:For applications submitted electronically on the SF424
(R&R) Application forms, all PD(s)/PI(s) must include their eRA Commons ID
in the Credential field of the Senior/Key Person Profile form of the SF
424(R&R) Application Package. Failure to register in the Commons and to
include a valid PD/PI Commons ID in the credential field will prevent the
successful submission of an electronic application to NIH.

The applicant organization must ensure that the DUNS
number it provides on the application is the same number used in the
organization’s profile in the eRA Commons and for the (SAM). Additional
information may be found in the Application Guide.

Administrative Supplements do not receive peer review. Instead,
the administrative criteria described below will be considered in the administrative
evaluation process.

The staff of the NIH awarding component will evaluate
requests for a supplement to determine its overall merit. The following general
criteria will be used:

Budget and
Period of Support

NIH staff will consider whether the
budget and the requested period of support are fully justified and reasonable
in relation to the proposed research.

Overall Impact

NIH staff will consider the ability of the proposed
supplement activities to increase or preserve the parent award’s overall impact
within the original scope of award:

Will the administrative supplement increase or
preserve the likelihood for the project to exert a sustained, powerful influence
on the research field(s) involved, through the enhancement of the core facilities
involved in the optimization effort?

Will the administrative supplement increase or
preserve the likelihood that researchers in IDeA states will have sustained
access to improved core services and facilities?

Will the administrative supplement increase or
preserve the likelihood for the core facilities and services involved in the
proposal to better comprehend, quantify, and track both the contributions of
core facilities to scientific research, well as scientific research costs?

Will the administrative supplement increase or
preserve the potential benefit of the core facility or service for the overall
research community and its potential impact on NIH-funded research?

In addition, each of the following criteria will be evaluated
as applicable for the proposed supplement.

Protections for Human Subjects:

For research that involves human
subjects but does not involve one of the six categories of research that are
exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate the justification for
involvement of human subjects and the proposed protections from research risk
relating to their participation according to the following five review
criteria: 1) risk to subjects, 2) adequacy of protection against risks, 3)
potential benefits to the subjects and others, 4) importance of the knowledge
to be gained, and 5) data and safety monitoring for clinical trials.

For research that involves human
subjects and meets the criteria for one or more of the six categories of
research that are exempt under 45 CFR Part 46, NIH staff will evaluate: 1) the
justification for the exemption, 2) human subjects involvement and
characteristics, and 3) sources of materials. For additional information on
review of the Human Subjects section, please refer to the Guidelines
for the Review of Human Subjects.

Inclusion of Women, Minorities,
and Children

When the proposed project involves
human subjects and/or NIH-defined clinical research, the committee will evaluate
the proposed plans for the inclusion (or exclusion) of individuals on the basis
of sex/gender, race, and ethnicity, as well as the inclusion (or exclusion) of
children to determine if it is justified in terms of the scientific goals and
research strategy proposed. For additional information on review of the
Inclusion section, please refer to the Guidelines
for the Review of Inclusion in Clinical Research.

Vertebrate Animals

NIH staff will evaluate the
involvement of live vertebrate animals as part of the scientific assessment
according to the following five points: (1) description of
proposed procedures involving animals, including species, strains, ages, sex,
and total number to be used; (2) justifications for the use of animals versus
alternative models and for the appropriateness of the species proposed; (3)
interventions to minimize discomfort, distress, pain and injury; and (4)
justification for euthanasia method if NOT consistent with the AVMA Guidelines
for the Euthanasia of Animals. Reviewers will assess the use of chimpanzees as
they would any other application proposing the use of vertebrate animals. For
additional information on review of the Vertebrate Animals section, please
refer to the Worksheet
for Review of the Vertebrate Animal Section.

Biohazards

NIH staff will assess whether
materials or procedures proposed are potentially hazardous to research
personnel and/or the environment, and if needed, determine whether adequate
protection is proposed.

2. Review and Selection
Process

Administrative supplement requests will undergo an
administrative evaluation by NIH staff, but not a full peer review. Applications
submitted for this funding opportunity will be assigned to the awarding
component for the parent award and will be administratively evaluated using the
criteria shown above.

3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates

Not Applicable

Section VI. Award
Administration Information

1. Award Notices

A formal notification in the form of a Notice of Award (NoA)
will be provided to the applicant organization for successful applications.
This may be as an NoA for the supplemental activities only; alternatively, it
may be as either a revision to the current year NoA or included as part of a
future year NoA. The NoA signed by the grants management officer is the
authorizing document and will be sent via email to the grantee’s business
official.

Awardees must comply with any funding restrictions described
in Section IV.5. Funding Restrictions. Selection
of an application for award is not an authorization to begin performance. Any
costs incurred before receipt of the NoA are at the recipient's risk. These
costs may be reimbursed only to the extent considered allowable pre-award costs.

Any application awarded in response to this FOA will be
subject to terms and conditions found on the Award
Conditions and Information for NIH Grants website. This includes any
recent legislation and policy applicable to awards that is highlighted on this
website. When calculating the award for additional funds, NIH will 1) prorate
funding if the requested budget period is adjusted at the time of award, and 2)
use the institution’s current F&A rate; i.e., the rate in effect when the
new funding is provided.

Recipients of federal financial
assistance (FFA) from HHS must administer their programs in compliance with
federal civil rights law. This means that recipients of HHS funds must ensure
equal access to their programs without regard to a person’s race, color,
national origin, disability, age and, in some circumstances, sex and religion.
This includes ensuring your programs are accessible to persons with limited
English proficiency. HHS recognizes that research projects are often limited
in scope for many reasons that are nondiscriminatory, such as the principal
investigator’s scientific interest, funding limitations, recruitment
requirements, and other considerations. Thus, criteria in research protocols
that target or exclude certain populations are warranted where
nondiscriminatory justifications establish that such criteria are appropriate
with respect to the health or safety of the subjects, the scientific study
design, or the purpose of the research.

For additional guidance regarding how the provisions apply
to NIH grant programs, please contact the Scientific/Research Contact that is
identified in Section VII under Agency Contacts of this FOA. HHS provides
general guidance to recipients of FFA on meeting their legal obligation to take
reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to their programs by persons with
limited English proficiency. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/resources/laws/revisedlep.html.
The HHS Office for Civil Rights also provides guidance on complying with civil
rights laws enforced by HHS. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/section1557/index.html;
and http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/index.html.
Recipients of FFA also have specific legal obligations for serving qualified
individuals with disabilities. Please see http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/civilrights/understanding/disability/index.html.
Please contact the HHS Office for Civil Rights for more information about
obligations and prohibitions under federal civil rights laws at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/office/about/rgn-hqaddresses.html or call 1-800-368-1019 or TDD 1-800-537-7697. Also note it is an HHS
Departmental goal to ensure access to quality, culturally competent care,
including long-term services and supports, for vulnerable populations. For
further guidance on providing culturally and linguistically appropriate
services, recipients should review the National Standards for Culturally and
Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care at http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlid=53.

Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions of Award

Any supplements to Cooperative Agreements will be subject to
the same Cooperative Agreement terms and conditions as the parent award.

3. Reporting

Reporting requirements will be specified in the terms and
conditions of award as applicable to the supplemental activities. In most non-competing
continuation applications, the progress report and budget for the supplement
must be included with, but clearly delineated from, the progress report and
budget for the parent award. The progress report must include information about
the activities supported by the supplement even if support for future years is
not requested. Continuation of support for the supplement activities in the
remaining years of the competitive segment of the grant will depend upon
satisfactory review by the NIH awarding component of progress for both the parent
award and the supplement project, the research proposed for the next budget
period, and the appropriateness of the proposed budget for the proposed effort.
This information is submitted with the Research Performance
Progress Report (RPPR) and financial statements as required in the NIH Grants
Policy Statement.

The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of
2006 (Transparency Act), includes a requirement for awardees of Federal grants
to report information about first-tier subawards and executive compensation
under Federal assistance awards issued in FY2011 or later. All awardees of
applicable NIH grants and cooperative agreements are required to report to
the Federal Subaward Reporting System (FSRS) available at www.fsrs.gov on all subawards over $25,000. See the NIH Grants
Policy Statement for additional information on this reporting
requirement.

Section VII. Agency Contacts

We encourage inquiries concerning this funding opportunity
and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants.